Once Beautiful Past tells the story of Henry Hall, a reclusive librarian in 1980 Berkeley California who discovers that he has the onset of Alzheimer’s disease on the eve of his second marriage. Set at a time of national distress over the Iran hostage crisis and the impending election of a new president, the story parallels feelings of separation and captivity as personalized through the relationship of a father and daughter who are in their own right hostages of their past. Henry’s quiet life is turned upside down when details of his wife’s death fourteen years prior compound growing tension between his fiancé and estranged daughter. Preparations for Thanksgiving preceding a hasty marriage in Reno prove disastrous as Henry’s condition worsens and his daughters abusive relationship with an older man reaches the point of no return. Risking everything for one more chance to be a good father, Henry reveals a secret about the car accident to his daughter that he hopes will mend their broken relationship. But Henry’s unsympathetic and selfish girlfriend stands in the way of a happy reunion and he is forced to choose between the daughter he left behind and a new marriage without her. Henry embarks on a journey of self discovery to settle ill feelings before time runs out.